'We want to live!' – Gazans speak out against Hamas

Thousands of miles from his homeland in Gaza, Hamza Howidy is free to speak and share his thoughts about Hamas. “It’s like ISIS,” he says, “but with good PR. They know how to support the freedom fighter narrative.”

Howidy, now 26, has the luxury of living in safety after claiming asylum in Germany, however, fellow Gazan dissident Amin Abed, does not.

“He is the bravest Gazan you’ll ever meet,” Howidy said of his friend. These two men from Gaza have been trying to pioneer a voice of dissent against Hamas that others will follow, but the violent repercussions make momentum almost impossible.

Undaunted, these men and others like them are standing up to the regime that has openly stated that the death of innocent Gazans is their battle strategy. However, the number of those willing to protest has dwindled from the hundreds who took to the streets a few years ago.

Years before the war precipitated by the Oct. 7 massacre, people in Gaza rallied to express discontent with Hamas and the living conditions under their government. Crowds took to the streets in 2019 and again in 2023. These protests became known as the “We Want to Live” rallies but were swiftly beaten back with force, both with batons and live fire. Dissidents were arrested, imprisoned and tortured. Many have been killed. Rising up – or even speaking up – is not so easy. “We have moderate people like every other country,” says Howidy, “but we don’t have the opportunity to speak, nor the protection.

Yet, even now, throughout the war with Israel, there have been voices speaking out from within Gaza, denouncing the Hamas terror group and saying they want peace. Footage has emerged showing significant numbers of people calling out for a ceasefire and even saying they want the hostages released. But such displays of defiance are clamped down upon immediately and people rarely live to tell the tale.

An anonymous complaint from a frustrated citizen of Gaza was posted on 𝕏 by Yasmine Mohammed: “Hamas bears responsibility for the wars, but we are the ones who pay the price. You launched an attack and took all these hostages, but did you think about how Israel would respond? Did you think they’d say ‘Hey, whatever, ok.” Mohammed introduced the post as coming from “Another Palestinian from Gaza denouncing the real enemy for peace.”

On Aug. 9, video footage emerged of a Gazan man during the evacuation from Khan Younis crying out in desperation: "I call on the whole world… Save us from Hamas before you save us from the Jews. Save us from Hamas before you save us from the Jews. They [Hamas] trade in our blood.”

His dead body was found the following morning.

The footage circulated on social media, with Israeli author and activist, Hen Mazzig, adding the following disclaimer to his post: “I hope that my calls for Hamas to surrender will not be interpreted as a lack of empathy for their Palestinian victims, but as amplifying the voices of brave dissidents in Gaza standing up to Hamas’s regime.”

You might wonder how many Palestinians from Gaza share these sentiments, and you might be surprised to learn that the number is larger than many would expect.

A website entitled “Whispered in Gaza” was established to give voice to those wanting to share their thoughts, stories and expressions of hope for peace in the region. The project features recordings of Gazans speaking out, accompanied by animations that visually illustrate their thoughts alongside the audio.

Ordinary Gazans understand that Hamas has, in a sense, taken them hostage as well – using them as cannon fodder. “They trade in our blood” is a cry repeated by a new believer who wrote from Gaza, and even expressed love and appreciation for Israel.

“You went to war respecting your country and your constitution according to which human dignity is always in front of your eyes and you do everything to save and return people at any cost, and do not use human beings as a commodity.”

The difference between his own government and that of Israel was clear to him as he wrote a message to “Eternal Moments,” a ministry based in Israel that makes videos about the Christian faith in Arabic.

He wrote: “Greetings from me and my wife and our children and you are in our prayers every day.”

“I also pray that the Defense Forces will continue boldly and destroy the murderous organization of Hamas! I and others see that the army is not at all responsible for the fall of victims in our country, even though there are indeed falls and injuries of innocent people such as children and others... The entire responsibility lies with Hamas, which by its cunning initiative enters among the ordinary crowd seeking shelter, knowing that many victims are going to fall and this is a sacred goal for them in order to influence the opinion of the world public and make them denounce Israel, and unfortunately they succeed in doing this at the expense of the innocent.”

He added: “You are always in our prayers that the Lord will protect you from those who wish to destroy you. It is important that you know, my brother, if I had known about a kidnapping in the area where I live, I would have done everything to pass on all the information in order to return the abductees to their parents.”

Such defiance against the Hamas regime is a dangerous path to take, but this man ended his message by saying he is no longer afraid. And he is not the only one ready to suffer the consequences of expressing dissent.

Back in Berlin, Howidy (35) shared the price Abed has paid for posting on social media in an interview with the Times of Israel. He was attacked by 20 men with knives and batons, leaving him hospitalized with broken legs, many other broken bones, and only a few teeth.

Howidy has had his share of violent treatment at the hands of Hamas when he joined hundreds of others in protesting in 2019 and again in 2023. Both times his family secured his release with bribes –$3,000 the first time and then $5,000 in 2023, a small fortune in Gaza. They also managed to escape the Gaza Strip into Egypt and Howidy is no longer concerned that his family will face reprisals from Hamas, which has allowed him to speak freely from his account on X.

Howidy's views may have been shaped in part by his daring decision to reach out to Israelis on social media while still living in Gaza. Despite a lifetime of indoctrination, he concluded that “[Israelis] are normal people. There is a small minority of extremists, but with most of them, you can reach a reconciliation.”

Many in Gaza are now beginning to see through the lies as they have watched their leaders steal and misappropriate billions, persistently choosing personal decadence and jihad over the welfare of their own people.

“The civilian population in Gaza today is extremely angry at Hamas, even many of its former supporters,” Howidy said. He acknowledged that this may not equate to positive feelings about Israel, but said that many understand now that Hamas wants the maximum number of its own people killed, using them as pawns and human shields without caring for their lives. He described the hostility to the few Christians in Gaza, and claims that the extreme violence Hamas metes out on their people only shows their weakness, maintaining their rule by terror rather than by consent.

“I feel deeply about my country, and I don’t want it to be depicted as full of terrorists and terror supporters. I want people to see the other side,” he said.

Meanwhile, there are those in Israel who care about those Palestinian civilians who are trapped in Gaza, praying for the fall of Hamas and the liberation of the people. Maybe one day we can see the other side for ourselves.